The Bellacara Bag
All of this time at home has been wonderful in many regards. For one thing, I’ve seen my four teenage boys more this past week than I have over the past three months. It sounds funny, but it’s actually true. Between school, tutors, and after school sports and activities, I was lucky to see my boys three hours a day before. Now I not only see them, but I spend quality time with them. Games, puzzles, movies, and talking for hours has been a blessing during this trying time.However, I found myself longing for connections with my friends. To appease the need to speak to someone other than the five men in my house, I had a virtual happy hour with my girlfriends. It was really fun. In fact, we had so much fun that we enlarged the group this past Sunday night. I decided it would be fun to send them all a gift beforehand. The Bellacara Bag. A bag of small treats, just to lift their spirits and give them some things to sample they may not have ever tried before. I dropped them all off an hour earlier with a note to open during the happy hour. 
We all shared a virtual toast and they dug into their bags. We laughed hysterically as one gal put the eye gels on wrong. We howled as one demonstrated the way she applies her mascara (let’s just say her mouth was open wider than her eyes.) After the second glass of wine, we were all wearing our tissue masks. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while and it was all at a distance. 
It made me think. Everyone should have this opportunity. So, I’ve recreated the bag. The Bellacara Bag. I want everyone to have the opportunity to turn the news off. To turn Skype on. And to connect with their girlfriends.These bags are available in store for $20 and can also be picked up curbside. Free delivery is available for purchases of five bags or more. Send a smile to a loved one, laugh with your friends, find the silver lining. This time will pass, and life will return to normal. Find time through all the uncertainty and the stress to connect with the ones you love. Spread joy. Laugh. Support each other. If there is one good thing to come from this terrible thing, it’s a heightened awareness of what really matters.